Stefanie Contreras

Speaker & Moderator

Stefanie Contreras (romance pen name Nyx Coronado) is a Latinx author of The Merry Maids sci-fi trilogy, the vampire romance THE DHAMPIR'S ACOLYTE, and four published short stories, "Pestilence," "The Warlock and the Crow," "Collecting Dragonflies," and "Dragon Navidad." In addition to writing novels, she is a volunteer with Quill &Crow Publishing House and a board member at WriteHive. For more information, visit her at www.latinageekgirl.com.

8:00PM - 9:30 PM EDT

Friday July 10th

Check Your Bias: Reading and Editing Mindfully

Recognizing one's own biases when beta reading and self-editing can be challenging, but it is an essential skill for writers and readers to develop. Join this panel to learn why understanding biases is important and how to address them in your work. (Moderator: Stefanie Contreras)

1:30PM - 3:00PM EDT

Saturday July 11th

Media Literacy 101

Every piece of writing, whether fiction or nonfiction, has an author with their own background, biases, and goals. Acknowledging this context can help a reader understand each piece and what to take away from it. In this panel, you will learn about what it means to be media literate (or media illiterate), what that means for today's world, and how to be mindful about the way you tell stories. (Moderator: Stefanie Contreras)

6:00PM - 7:30PM EDT

Saturday July 11th

Monstrous Love: Monster Romance as a Growing Genre

Monster Romance is a rapidly growing niche of books featuring relationships with monsterous love interests. Where did this start, and why are we seeing such an uptick in such fictional relationships? Join our panelists on a discussion of monster romance: its history, how to write it, and where you can find the monster niche you're looking to read. (Moderator: Samantha Bryant)